The uncivil left

By
Jennifer Rubin

Showing no concern for the new civility push that followed the Arizona massacre, a group of leftist activists from groups including Code Pink, Common Cause and jewel of liberal think tanks, the Center for American Progress, turned into a loud mob complete with Nazi imagery outside a conservative gathering in Rancho Mirage, California.

As the Daily Caller reported, over the weekend a conference sponsored by the Koch brothers featured conservative heavy weights such as House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Rush Limbaugh. The leftist groups were joined by a liberal law school dean and ex-green czar Van Jones. They decried the gathering as a nefarious conspiracy:

"Our goal here for the panel Sunday is to talk about the Billionaires Caucus agenda, its human impact and what can be done to restore the voices of ordinary Americans to the our political process," explained Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause. "Our government is supposed to be of, by and for the people, but it has been hijacked by self-interested billionaires. We must take it back. "

Despite the hyperbole, the Koch conference doesn't sound so different from many off-the-record political conferences, including those held by the professional left. Shortly after the 2010 elections, for example, liberal groups converged on Washington D.C.'s Oriental Mandarin hotel. The meeting, hosted by Democracy Alliance featured liberal leaders such as Van Jones, hedge fund manager Donald Sussman, and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka. Michael Vachon, a George Soros representative, Peter Lewis, CEO of Progressive Insurance; and Fred Baron, the former president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America also attended.

High on the list of the leftists' complaints was the Koch brothers' alleged support for the Citizens United lawsuit, in which the Supreme Court ruled that corporations and labor unions can exercise First Amendment rights by engaging in campaign spending and advocacy. However, the leftists' main objection to third-party fundraising groups, namely that the donors remain "secret," is curious since groups like Center for American Progress don't disclose their donors either.

On Sunday, the protest group swelled to 1,000 and blocked the street for nearly an hour. In a pre-arranged arrest, authorities cuffed and removed 25 protesters. Apparently, the leftists don't consider the Jewish Funds for Justice's missive on improper use of Nazi references to apply to them:

(Photo by Dan Comstock)

Also celebrated was the historical figure Guy Fawkes, whom the left routinely associates with anti-government violence.

(Photo by Dan Comstock)

According to an eye-witness who contacted me by e-mail, protesters shouted "traitors," held signs that said "Koch Kills" and chanted "No justice, no peace" outside the hotel.

A Koch representative whom I contacted had this comment on the day's events: "This is the kind of 'civil debate' the left wants to have after Tucson?" One additional note: Inside the same conference center as the conservatives was a conference of judges from the Ninth Circuit. The recent death of a federal judge in Arizona did not give the mob pause about the propriety of their actions.

Does this hypocrisy surprise anyone? The Tucson shooting was the shameful pretext to malign conservatives and shut them up. The only good to come of this kind of incident is that it will be widely publicized by alternative media (Thank you, Jen!) and further strengthen our resolve to stand up to these little would-be totalitarians.

The difference is there isn't a single elected Democrat or mainstream media personality who supports Code Pink or their agenda. Not now, not ever. Too bad you intellectually dishonest folks can't buy perspective.

What completely amazes me is Jennifer's brazen dishonesty and hypocrisy.

She rightfully complained when she believed the actions of the fringe were being imparted to the entire right, but then she turns around and does the exact same thing by tarring the entire left with the actions of the fringe.

The Washington Post, along with the rest of the Liberal media, has vastly under reported on the incivility and extremism of Far Leftists for decades.

Then relative civil protests finally break out at Tea Parties and Town halls; and they are called racists, Nazis etc. by the Liberals in the Liberal media. Actually they are a [so far] mild reaction to years of Liberal media tyranny and its consequences.

Here is the headline in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Protesters swarm rich conservatives' desert resort". A headline which does not put an adjective in front of the word "protesters" but does associate an adjective with "conservatives". Editorial bias?

fingersfly said: The difference is there isn't a single elected Democrat or mainstream media personality who supports Code Pink or their agenda. Not now, not ever. Too bad you intellectually dishonest folks can't buy perspective.

**************************************

Here's where I make you eat your words: (This was the first one I found. You an go find the others.) You silly, clueless, LYING hippie.

"The difference is there isn't a single elected Democrat or mainstream media personality who supports Code Pink or their agenda. Not now, not ever. Too bad you intellectually dishonest folks can't buy perspective.

Posted by: fingersfly"

Really? So, who let them into that congressional hearing where they were able to confront Condoleeza Rice? Was Cindy Sheehan unsupported (at least when she was a useful cudgel to beat Bush with)?

All issues of hypocrisy aside, I'll be very happy to see this silliness about "civility" laid to rest (if "laid to rest" is not an unacceptably disturbing metaphor). Let's just have at it--there are too many things we have to fight out until the end. So, now violence--that's what the police are for--but otherwise, anyone who thinks they are going to establish generally agreed upon speech rules is deluding him or herself.

They claim to be in favor of civility but they aren't just read the comments

They claim to be against hypocrisy but they aren't just read the comments

Talk of dishing it but not taking it is dishonest hypocrisy

It's you and yours who CLAIMED to be against this sort of thing, but you aren't

We can dish it AND take it, this article isn't the hamhanded demand that the left no longer engage in debate to mirror the nonsense the left is spewing after the arizona tradgedy, this article is pointing out the lies and hypocrisy of the people claiming to be for civility and against this sort of thing, you aren't against it and the string of post either accusing rubin of hypocrisy for pointing out your lying hypocrisy or minimizing what this is just prove this

Who cares whether any elected dem supports code pink (They do if only by not condemning them the way they demand we condemn Palin)

Who cares because the center for american progress is involved here, this isn't just code pink, it's CAP and even van jones who was appointed by Pres Obama as "green czar" involved here, will he or CAP be condemned for being uncivil? Of course not, because the people complaining about civility have no interest in that, the only interest is in shutting up people who won the last election

We can dish it and take it

What we can't take is lying about wanting civility you don't want

And if you aren't condemning this in the strongest terms you demand Palin be condemned don't bother blather about hypocrisy because you don't care about that either

Hypocrisy not complaining is what this article is about, pretending otherwise just exposes the lie that you care about civility or hypocrisy, you don't

Of course, this is just terrible! Shame on those nasty liberals!
This is so much different than disrupting Town Hall meetings across the country, which of course, was Patriotic.
This hardcore moderate has known for decades that there are silly people on both fringes of our politics. If you are shocked, then maybe you should get out more.

The sheeple Rubin leads around by the nose so easily strongly bleat their outrage when it's pointed out just which side showed up with weapons at the "scream at the Democrats health care town hall meetings", and which side did NOT try and intimidate anyone with guns at this Koch brothers conference, namely because none of the "uncivil left" were armed with anything more dangerous than a sharp wit.

Apparently for Rubin, she thinks that the Koch brothers have far too little influence on our political system, and that our Constitution should protect the uber-rich, corporations and industries far more than it does "we the people".

Silly Txdon apparently doesn't read the links that he posts. John Kerry's letter doesn't mention Code Pink. The letter wasn't supporting any group, just asking that the people traveling to the peace march be treated with respect. That's the problem with people who use such sources for information. You read an opinion piece that interprets facts the way they want you to see them and you don't bother to check the facts yourself.

She never said a word about the koch brothers having far too little influence

You can't see past your own hypocrisy to even PRETEND that you care about civility

You don't care about it in the least, and lying about what she said doesn't make you look sane at all

She and the "people she leads around by the nose" aren't saying anything about outrage, just lying hypocrisy such as you are displaying

Clearly you want "civility" only when it comes from people who's politics you disagree with, if they are agains the koch bros not only are you not in favor of civility, you screech about anyone who would point it out

No one cares about your dumb little protests against the koch's

It's the dishonest media meme that the left wants and is more civil than the right

It's a lie and you can't and don't even attempt to defend it

You don't care about civility, that's the point yr not smart enough to get, hypocrisy of the first order

You might as well be speaking to most of the liberal commenters above and not just the one you chose.

From the "Tea Partiers carrying assault rifles to OB's rallies" fables, to the claim that people participating in open public question-and-answer sessions is as egregious as mobbing a private event to which you're not invited, to claiming that this post is an attempt to claim that the entire left is responsible for this protest, to the claim that this post somehow consists of "cherry-picking", they all write dishonestly.

It's almost as if they realize they cannot help themselves by merely speaking honestly about their party and its goals because their party and its goals are not things they can be proud of.

No, the leftists' only hope lies in hiding their true intentions. Just compare what OB claimed he would be, and what he would do, in his campaign, to what he is, and does, now. If he had campaigned on an "I'm going to take ALL your money, and your kids' money too, and give it to my friends at SEIU and ACORN" platform, I'm guessing we'd be talking about President Hilary C right now.

The Liberal Fascists forget that the town hall meeting were open to the public. Gabby Giffords was shot exercising 1st Amendment Rights. Now they claim the Koch brothers have no 1st Amendment Rights. No wonder the People refudiated the democrats last November.

That mask is the one that Anonymous uses; I don't know what relation it has to Fawkes. So, I suspect the meaning goes a bit deeper than Rubin is capable of understanding.

As for Koch v. Soros, I think we can all agree that they're both not great for the U.S.

What's that, Lassie? Not everyone agrees? Many people are highly partisan and engage in "Manichean thinking"? The Koch's little helpers use that to rally teapartiers to their side despite what the Kochs supporting not being in the interests of the teapartiers?

"The difference is there isn't a single elected Democrat or mainstream media personality who supports Code Pink or their agenda. Not now, not ever. Too bad you intellectually dishonest folks can't buy perspective."

Heh. Unless you count Barak Obama as being a Democrat, who co-hosted fundraisers with Code Pink's Jodie Evans. Or unless you consider John Kerry a Democrat, who wrote a letter in support of Code Pink's support of Hamas. Or unless you consider John Murtha a Democrat, who proudly attended one of their meetings to accept the "Pink Badge of Courage." The co-founder of Code Pink was manager of Jerry Brown's presidential bid. The Dems invited her to speak at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

typical double standard with the lame stream media. thank you obama for waking up the country to this charade. if this had been a tea party rally it would have been headlining every news broadcast. just another liberal socialist demonstration with arrests, swastikas, and death threats...

While it all depends on point of view, I believe 80% of the nastiness in American politics comes from the left. All you have to do is look at the comments. I think it is hilarious to hear the left complain about "vitriol", the new word adopted by every liberal reporter in the country. The message to us conservatives is that there is no tolerance among the tolerance crowd for other points of view and anything possible should be done to criticize the right and, most important, try to stop them from speaking out. I think one of the most bizarre aspects of the left, and there are many, is the way they go apoplectic over Fox News. They become completely unglued over the mention of Fox news. The hoot is that none of them actually watch Fox News. So we have all these lefties going nuts over something they don't even watch. Hello in there! Does that make any sense? Of course legions of lefties scour the net daily looking for something to be offended by and when they find a quote or something they can twist to mean something totally different than intended they go through this phony, sanctimonious charade of being offended. Palin's use of the term "blood libel" sure offended a whole lot of people who never had a clue about the phrase or what it meant. The good news is that the unhinged left has turned off the moderates and independents. Obama is now trying to pretend he is not anti-business, etc. but stories like this one show the left can pretend all they want, but we know it is all a fraud on the voters to sneak through another election claiming center of the road so they can resume the extreme left wing agenda they really want. What a bunch of idiots. They sure don't contribute anything to the greater good and couldn't if they wanted to.

The fringe left cares nothing about "civility" or the free competition of ideas. Unfortunately, the fringe left is hard to distinguish from the mainstream left. As the lawyers say, it's a distinction without a difference.

So the Koch and their ilk can spend millions spreading lies about death panels, but let someone show up and exercise their First Amendment rights to protest such lies, and the right gets the vapors about "civility?" Ok, just wanted to know what this column was about. I'm fairly certain it is to give the reality-challenged trolls from the other WP columns a place to call home.

"I'm not a hypocrite, I truly do want civility, that's why I'm going to condemn this"

I'm not holding my breath

Instead people like oldabandonedbeachhouse who apparently didn't read the article show up shrieking about how the right is in "vapors" about civility when they aren't

We are in "vapors" about the dishonest leftys claiming to be all about civility but they aren't

All you have to do is say you don't support this and yr not a hypocrite

But not one single one has yet

Now I've explained it so that even the dumbest ones should be able to get it

Think any of them will condemn this in the name of the civility they claim they want?

Nope they'll show up saying how dare you ask for civility, after shrieking for the last few weeks about how they want civility

You don't want civility and each additional post by a left proves that

Instead of lying about the hypocrisy Rubin is pointing out here, try ACTUALLY proving her wrong by demanding civility from these leftys

You don't want civility though so you won't be demanding that, it's just a pose to silence people who disagree with yr politics and the fact that not one lefty has condemned this incivility proves they don't want civility at all

How hypocritical! The Tea Party shows up with guns, screaming about death panels while Sarah Palin urges people to "reload" and nobody bats an eye. Instead, Jennifer Rubin decides to cover a peaceful protest in a terrible light and with very inaccurate information. For example, the Guy Fawkes mask is associated with a lot of protest movements (mainly the group calling themselves "Anonymous"), and is in no way calling for violence. Shame on you, and shame on your reporting. Your journalism professors (if you do indeed have any formal training in this field) would be appalled.

Shame on you, and shame on your reporting. Your journalism professors (if you do indeed have any formal training in this field) would be appalled.

Posted by: zjunkmailster | January 31, 2011 3:21 PM |
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Please. The new right doesn't "do journalism." It doesn't pay to start at the bottom. In fact, the modern right doesn't do any profession that doesn't pay much. See http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-turn/2010/11/welcome_to_right_turn.html

Is there some reason I should care what Jennifer Rubin thinks when conservatives demonstrate fairly regularly that they see only what they want to see? Odd that she doesn't mention the massive amounts of cash unleashed by Citizens United, and how that fact alone gives the right-wing corporate interests a power that far outweighs their numbers.

oldabandonedbeachhouse when you dishonestly claim that the right is in "vapors" because you've been called on the lie of wanting civility you don't want, you shouldn't lecture anyone about anything

If you want civility speak up and demand it, now, when it's not a ploy to silence Palin

You don't want civility and won't be demanding it unless it suits your political aims

That's hypocrisy of the first order

Please don't lecture people, first be honest and demand that these people be civil like you claim to want (not the right, we aren't in vapors, we aren't demanding civility, that's you guys, but you don't really want civility do you)

CAP? Again, there isn't a single elected Democrat who has ever espoused the Code Pink agenda. Writing a letter which a number of peace organizations used to facilitate their travel to Israel and Pakistan is not endorsing an agenda, just doing his job for his constituents. The left has wing nuts who use inflammatory rhetoric too, but none of them are elected or sitting in anchor chairs on prime time TV.

Concentrate only on a single sentence (Or in this case 2 words) and ignore the rest

What about the center for american progress they are connected and quoted often by elected democrats, they are not the fringe group code pink is (Which isn't denounced like you demand we condemn out fringe groups, shouldn't elected dems CONDEMN code pink? They are a fringe group I do admit that, but the demands that we condemn every random kook who show up at a tea party event is non stop. Condemn yr own fringe)

This isn't just about code pink, why ask "CAP" why not go back reread the article and see what I meant when I said it's not just about code pink?

Besideds I recall a vice presidential candidate SHREIKING that pres bush had "BETRAYED OUR COUNTRY!!!!" during a war

I recall Moveon.org running an ad calling our top general "general BETRAYUS!!!"

I recall just last week an elected Dem comparing republicans who DARE suggest obamacare is a government takeover of healthcare to nazi's

Really? If you feel the law clearly designed to destroy insurance companies will lead to a government takeover you're a nazi? Or similar to a nazi? Or that nazi's should be brought into it in any way?

This is just one more example of incivil behaivor by the left, it comes from top to bottom

Including Pres Obama saying "if they bring a knife, we bring a gun"

And no he wasn't talking about Al Qaeda, he was talking about his fellow americans who dare to disagree with his political views

If you want civility DEMAND IT NOW, from the center for american progres, from demcratic elected officials who compare Rs to nazi's, from Pres Obama

Or quit demanding it at all

And please don't pretend that you don't understand that this isn't about code pink, it's not, and even if it was shouldn't YOU be condemning them instead of making excuses?

To even attempt to compare the left to the angry right wing Teabagger goons shows just how delusional todays (Rubin) Right Wing Lunatic Fringe really is.

Posted by: DrainYou
----------------------
Let's see: "angry right wing Teabagger goons", "delusional", "Right Wing Lunatic Fringe". That a lot of angry slurs for just one sentence. The left's new civility since Tucson is a joy to behold/comic gold.

The Arizona Shooter of Dem Gabbie Giffords (Jared Lougner) is anti-abortion, he spewed Ron/Rand Paulist rhetoric on the gold standard, he hates government, and he stashed guns and ammo so he could fight back against an "evil" government that he believed wanted to control language.

I don't care what Republican liars like Jennifer Rubin say, Loughner may not have been on any Teabagger group list but he has their DNA.

This is one of the most laughable "columns" that I've ever seen in WaPo. Do they actuaaly pay you for this crap, Rubin?

The misuse of nazi swastikas like this is a sign of ignorance and stupidity. These people need to get in touch with reality.

Some people are always going to paint the opposition as demons. I suggest ignoring them and not giving into the temptation to claim these particularly ignorant people are representative of the "left" and then shoe horning every democrat or person who doesn't agree with you into that shoe.

I note 2 1/2 years after a black conservative man showed up at a "free speech area" far removed from a rally with an unloaded, slung rifle..plus being polite, non-angry! non-outraged! non-confrintational - lefty commentors still absolutely freak out about it.
And assume it is a splendid talking point.

Let's see! Lefty tactics of shouting down speakers to disrupt the oppositions right to free speech at universities and political rallies, throwing things, and making blood libel accusations - is "civil confrontation".

While by Lefty logic, someone with a shouldered, unloaded firearm demonstrating peacefully demonstrating for 2nd Amendment Rights and the right of urban blacks to defend themselves from thugs and rapists is "incivil, confrontational"

"Also celebrated was the historical figure Guy Fawkes, whom the left routinely associates with anti-government violence."

Not true, inaccurate, and ignorant. That particular iteration of Guy Fawkes is from the graphic novel, 'V For Vendetta,' by Alan Moore. The character in his story wore a Guy Fawkes mask, but our use of it is certainly one step from Kevin Bacon or Guy Fawkes.

It does not represent "the left." It represents the online netizens who have adopted the image and mask. We are not left. We are not right. You are wrong. We are a cross section of society, not a partisan force. So get over the "O NOEZ, LIBRULZ LUV THEM SUM GUY FAWKES" because it isn't true.

I should know. I'm one of them. And as people said to me yesterday when they spotted my mask, "Hurray, the Internet is here!"

Since that's just flat out wrong, the ball was in Jon Stewart's court to call her out.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) had made a speech on the House floor last week comparing a Republican plan to repeal health care reform to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

In an interview with Kelly, Democratic strategist Richard Socarides pointed out that Cohen wasn't the only one to invoke Nazis.

"If we want to get into who is heating this and overheating this, I mean every night on the very network we're on right now, the leading commentators on this network use this kind of language," he explained.

"That's not true, Richard," Kelly shot back. "I don't know if you sit and watch our programming every night, but I watch it every day, and you're wrong."

"Megyn, I watch it every day, too," Stewart noted. "12 long years. I think he might be right."

Comedy Central's staff quickly produced clip after clip to prove that Kelly was the one who was wrong.
.

"One additional note: Inside the same conference center as the conservatives was a conference of judges from the Ninth Circuit. The recent death of a federal judge in Arizona did not give the mob pause about the propriety of their actions."

It wasn't a mob. It was an orderly protest. There was chanting. There were speeches. There was a prearranged "arrest" of a number of people who agreed to trespass and be taken into custody.

We're not the ones swaggering around all thugly with guns and ugly rhetoric meant to incite the mentally ill and weak minded into acts of violence. Look to your own nest for Tucson, you hack.

That was such a stretch, I'm surprised you didn't wind up lips down on the floor.

But this article, rife with flaws and inaccuracies, shows the quality of people waving the Koch brothers' banner. A quarter of you write like grade school dropouts. Three fourths of you just quote Beck and Limbaugh, and 100% of you could really do with some education.

It was just a matter of time before the experiment the GOP has run to attempt to regain power would begin causing instigated political assassination attempts. The creation of a Teabaggers that comprised several disillusioned factions as well as some outright anti-government terrorist leaning groups and individuals is a powder keg.

When Right Wing media hosts lie about the President’s hate of some arbitrary group, unstable minds react unstably. When Right Wing hosts falsely misrepresent the effect of policy as damaging to citizens, unstable minds react unstably.

Many in the mainstream media are expressing shock at the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Gifford’s by reported to be Jared Lee Loughner. It has been obvious for several months that the inflammatory rhetoric by the Right Wing and Tea Party was in fact inciting potential violence. After all, since President Obama’s election, gun sales and ammunition skyrocketed. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported a marked increase in hate groups. YouTube has many hate mongering videos by radical Right Wing groups. Many Right Wing websites overtly display their hateful vitriol against President Obama, Democrats, Liberals, and minorities. The phrase "take back our country" has become the rallying call of the Right. One must wonder, take back from whom.

The President’s birthplace and legitimacy is continuously challenged and not rebuffed by any responsible Republican. The false accusations of governmental policies being unconstitutional, as well as the promotion of statements that an armed militia to protect against tyranny is in order, makes for a volatile country.

The Right Wing knew exactly what they are doing. Their agenda is bankrupt. They have continued to support policies to pilfer the middle class as wealth is constantly transferred upward. Creating boogey men & women on the left for the Right’s failures is intended to have the middle class take their eyes off the real problem, They know if the necessary class warfare the wealthy has waged on the middle class is finally noticed that a revolt by the middle class would reorganize our society.

An ignored cancer inevitably kills. The media, the Republican Party, and many other Right Wing Radio and TV organizations now have blood on their hands. This incident was foreseen by most responsible citizens.

One can only hope that going forward the Right Wing echo chamber that has been consistently promoting a vast volume of misinformation, lies, and outright inflaming statements against our President, Democratic Politicians, and Progressive Liberals that can easily push the unstable to commit unspeakable acts will take this as heed to bring morality back to the debate. Our Right Wing must recognize that their methods and movement have been effected in other countries with detrimental results to those societies.

*rolls eyes* Jennifer, you're clueless. I know the person in the Guy Fawkes mask, and s/he was riffing on the V For Vendetta / Internet meme. But gee, the whole piece is simply dripping with ignorance and reminds me why I don't usually make a point of reading right wing columnists. Unless, of course, the right wing columnist uses a picture of a good friend of mine to illustrate a point that is purely and simply flat out WRONG.

For the record, protesting is one of my civil rights (you know, "redress of grievances," as the First Amendment says). I don't care if it's the Koch Brothers or the space alien church of greed and power, I'm going to exercise that right. Especially now, since the Koch Brothers can use their monies in an attempt to buy elections. Pfffth.

Progressives are notorious at their political intolerance. For example, there is the progressive Philadelphia neighborhood of Mount Airy. During the 2004 Presidential campaign (Bush v. Kerry) it was unfortable to live in the neighborhood as a Republican. I saw one bumpersticker, "Spay or neuter your" picture of an elephant. It could be a threat of sexual violence! So much for civility.

I hope the uncivil left did not show up at the Koch Brother's Corporate Conservative gathering with guns strapped around their waist, shoulders, and thighs, because that would surely be "uncivil".

Other than that, the uncivil left has just as much right to protest and express their freedom of speech just as much as the uncivil right.

Besides, the left's incivility does not have snow ball's chance in hell of being heard and spread by liberal media communications and their pundits like those we hear coming from FIXED News political "pundits" and Conservative Right-Wing radio everyday.

As a matter of fact Rubin, if you had not of witten this little partisan piece I would not have known the left was being uncivil towards the Koch Brothers and their minions.

A peaceful protest - and aimed at people poisoning our government. This is compared with the screaming fanatics who were literaly nose to nose screaming foam off their lips in the ace of congresspersons at town halls? Tea bagging paul; supporters shoving a wwoman to the ground and standing on her head? Tea baggers opening carrying sidearms and assault weapons to rallies?

"Axelturfing" I love it!! Those lefties are axelturfs, or is that with a "d"?

Van Jones is head of the Tides Foundation. Both the Tides Foundation and Center for American Progress are supported by George Soros. George Soros is Obama's largest contributor and supports many leftist organizations. Van Jones is an avowed communist.

What passes for the left in this country is too ineffectual to be uncivil. Had the protesters been raised with a strong set of morals, love of justice and determination; true civility would have required the Guillotining of all the Royal Kochist participants.

What passes for journalism in the WaPo is passive aggressive incivility. That wingnut welfare from the "Let them eat cake" set pays pretty well, doesn't it Jennifer?

Jennifer Rubin's ranting in this column is reason enough for me to believe nothing she writes until it is proven by more objective evidence. She insinuates here, for instance, that Common Cause is a leftist nest.
That's a lie. That's a Joe McCarthy-styled lie.
Common Cause defines itself this way: 'Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.'
There must be better qualified, more honest conservative voices the Washington Post can publish. Jennifer Rubin proves herself unworthy of readers' trust.

Thanks for publicizing this. I tend to see all conferences like this as a waste of time, but leftist protests are the worst, since they often devolve into violence, arrests and destruction of property. Worse, they're dishonest. When they lose the argument they try to project their own behavior on conservatives. Witness some of the commenters here.

There is an old legal maxim: "Who comes to equity must do so with clean hands." In other words, don't expect civility if you aren't civil yourself. The people in the center, the swing voters, aren't impressed.

Trying to list all the beneficiaries of the Kochs and their rich right wing friends would be a daunting task. Suffice it to say, they are the wallet for just about every right wing cause you can think of — from Teabagger candidates and ballot measures like California’s pro-pollution Prop 23, to right wing think tanks like the Cato Institute and astro-turf front groups like Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity.

One of the country’s worst polluters — with business interests in everything from healthcare to the derivatives trading that helped push our economy off a cliff, the Koch brothers have spread hundreds of millions of dollars to protect their narrow ideological and financial interests over the years -- ensuring that the agenda of billionaires is inserted at every level of our government and political discourse, and often at the expense of the middle class. No one has worked harder to kill Wall Street Reform, Healthcare Reform, or Energy Reform than the Kochs.

This is the meeting where the Kochs and their allies come together to refine their strategy; The billionaires prepare the agenda, which is packaged by the right-wing media echo chamber (Jennifer Rubin etc) to sow fear and anxiety amongst unwitting foot soldiers who provide “grassroots cover” for right wing lawmakers as they push policies that undermine the middle class in DC.

It’s a sophisticated shell game that the Kochs and their allies are playing — steeped in secrecy, profit motive and ideological extremism -- as described in a profile written by Jane Mayer of New Yorker Magazine. Past attendees at Koch sponsored events include Glenn Beck, and Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Scalia. This weekend’s junket will also be attended by newly minted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Ultimately, the tentacles of the 'Kochtopus' stretch out in all directions from this meeting.

Given how violent and destructive this protest was (as clearly implied in your copy) I suspect your editors left out the number of people shot, the number of guns in the crowd, the numerous signs talking about watering the tree of liberty, how the Kochs aren't really American citizens, etc etc. Please also tell us about all the car fires the crowd set and how much tear gas the police had to use.

I ask because without these things, it just looks like you and the subjects of your article are mad that common folk are allowed to protest and I'm sure you don't want to look like a moron such as that.

You say, "...However, the leftists' main objection to third-party fundraising groups, namely that the donors remain "secret," is curious since groups like Center for American Progress don't disclose their donors either."

No comparison, CAP is not running for President or any elected office. Koch Bros want to buy a Presidency and kill our democracy. The Citizens United rule will not last. Egypt is our model.

This is either pure intellectual dishonesty or utter stupidity. I won't presume to know Ms. Rubin's intentions. But the false equivalency here is off the charts. It's like comparing the actions of a sports team itself to the actions of its fans. It's simply nonsense.

It does achieve one thing, however: it reveals the true defensiveness of the right.

Jennifer Rubin, what entirely dishonest and lazy piece of journalism. Clutching at straws to discredit this protest...you didn't bother to interview any of the actual protesters or protesting organizations. Didn't bother to compare/contrast the violent rhetoric and gun-toting of Tea Party protests. There's no balance or broader perspective in this article. I'm not saying these protesters are saints but did you do ANY research into the validity of their concerns and complaints? An undergrad could write a better piece than this, and it's a perfect example of why political discourse in this nation has become so polarized and dysfunctional. Shoddy work, Ms. Rubin.

Jennifer you need to look what the definition of uncivil. According to the law what we did (yes, I was 1 of the 25 arrested) it is considered a civil disobedience so I think you need to review the definition of your terms. All we did was walk 5 feet on to the property and stood toe to toe w/ the cops ( I was cited for tresspassing, nothing else). We were all silent taking a stand for what we believe to send our message to the nation staying completely still the entire time. And it worked :-), I was even thanked by the officer for our group being so cooperative. Most of the cops were very pleasant and some even showed that they enjoyed our company as we joked with them. I would like to know what is uncivil about that? Despite the fact that we our legs and arms were shackled to chains on our waist. Your article is very inaccurate in regards to the event. You left out all the unions that attended the event, including the California Nurses Association, The United Domestic Workers of America among others. Comparing what we did to Tucson is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard and shows are ignorant you truly are. Also the "right side" has every right to protest when democratic billionaires meet in secret like the Koch brothers do. BUt the right side doesn't seem to do any action for what they believe, I just always hear a bunch of talk and complaining and giving money to make the rich richer, and poor more poor. I want to see you take some action for something you believe in rather than writing such an incredibly biased piece. That is not true journalism......

Oh go shed your right-wing tears somewhere else poor Jennifer! I am so sick of these cry-baby conservatives who want to be able to demonize liberals and Democrats and environmentalists and scientists with absolute impunity. These righty extremists have a nifty angle when you think about it.They complain about the "liberal" media--i.e., any news outlet that actually practices balanced coverage, like NPR--while utterly dominating opinion media (yes, I consider a 50-1 ratio between conservative and liberal talk shows utterly dominant). And when those poor Koch boys get criticized knee-jerk righties like Jennifer swing into action and...cry. Poor us! cries Jennifer. Poor us! cries Sarah. And then there's Boehner. Now he really knows how to cry.

So, all you far-right circus freaks who have done such an effective job diminishing America's cohesion at home and prestige abroad, know that this proud liberal sees you for the weak, scared, small, tear-spilling cowards you truly are.

Aw. Jenny's sugar daddies have been exposed and now she's concentrating on the "incivility" of these citizens for speaking out against the hijacking of our political system. These billionaires want to keep ruining the climate for the next generations of the world's population, all so they can enjoy a few billion more in oil profits before they finally have to give in to sanity and let the country join the world in facing down this crisis.

POOR neocon denialists. They are SO oppressed. I am just weeping for them.

To SwtHeatherette (and your compatriots) - THANK YOU for your patriotic efforts. Your energy and devotion to exposing these people is appreciated by many more Americans than you know.

Wow. Just wowsies. Did you all catch Jen's parting manipulative, anti-American shot? Here, I'll reprint it in all its fascist glory:

"One additional note: Inside the same conference center as the conservatives was a conference of judges from the Ninth Circuit. The recent death of a federal judge in Arizona did not give the mob pause about the propriety of their actions."

Wow. So let's understand this. Because the judges have lost one of their own, THEY (and only THEY) should be allowed to continue dispensing with their professionalism and objectivity by attending a POLITICAL conference with the tea partiers (just as Scalia and Thomas regularly do), but the American people should NOT have the right to bring this to the public's attention and express their displeasure with their political activities.

Just freaking wow. This is a low point, even for Jennifer's fascist friends.

To Sickandtired: Have you spoken to every single elected democrat about code pink? Because I was incarcerated for 9 hours with the cofounder of the organization for this protest and she is the most amazing individual and truly an inspiration. Also she has protested and got arrested along side Alice Walker (the author of the color purpler and pulitzer prize winner), media reporters among other amazing individuals. This woman has made a positive change in our society and has trained others who have also changed laws. While receiving death threats that include Glenn Beck, but has never done any violent actions, only nonviolent direct action. What have you done w/ your life to help our society???

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